Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1887-01-19
CHAMBER OF COMMERCE.
The shipping Interests of the Coua-
fry-Custom- House Districts.

A called meeting of the Board of Di-
rectors of the Chamber of Commerce
was held Yesterday evening. Present: !:
George A. Ainslie, president Richard
A. Dunlop, first vice-president Hon.
George L. Christian, second vice-presi-
dent n. W. Bowe, Henry Bodeker, o.
L. Cottrell, y. ID. Hargove, S. Fl.
Hawes, j. H. Witty, J. j. Montague,
r. Williams, John II. Montague, and
Ashton Starke.
Major 2. A. Wexford was elected
member of the Chamber, and then, on
motion Of Mr.. Dunlop, he was chosen
to represent the Chamber as delegate in
the National Union Convention, now
in session in Washington in the in
terest Of American ship-building.
Major Wexford left on the 6:25 north
bound train.
General Wickham being present by
invitation, drew the attention of the
Board to the two bills now pending be
fore Congress proposing to enlarge the
boundaries of the Yorktown and New
port-News custom-house district.
At present this district includes nom
Of the waters of Hampton Roads. cone
bill gives il nearly all the waters; the
other gives it about half.
General Wickham urged that 1t was
a great hardship TO require, as now, the
officers Of all the vessels lying i'll the
Roads awaiting orders, &c, to do their
custom-hOusc business at Norfolk.
What he asked was that the Chamber
should express itself III favor of one
I'LL or the other and send a committee
of two on to Washington to present
their views before the House committee.
Neither one of these bills affects the
boundary lines Of the Richmond dis
trict: but the present system is hurttul
to Richmond trade, General Wickham
claimed, as it is a costly and unneces-
saTy restriction.
General Wickham asked that Colonel
De Clay, the former collector of the
Yorktown district, be heard on this
subject, and he was thereupon invited
to take the floor. He said that there
were instances where a ship lying mt
anchor almost within a stone 's-throw OF
Newport News had to 90 to Norfolk to
DO custom-house business. This re-
striction dives trade away from Nir-
gnia to Delaware Rreakwatcr. He
thought the waters Of the Roads should
Ire divided between the Norfolk and the
Yorktown districts.
Hon. John A. Curtis was also invited
to address the Roard on the subject,
and favored a division of the district,
Judge George l.. Christian offered
the following, which were agreed to
unanimously:
Rcs0irCd by this Bodrd, l, That it
heartily favors the enlargement of the
customs district of Yorktown by in
ending in the jurisdiction Of said dis
trict the space from Back river light,
onthe Chesapeake bay, to Thimble light,
thence in a straight line TO Pig Point,
at the mouth of the Nansemond river,
thence on up the south bank of the
James river rs it runs at present.
RCSOlUCd, >, l hat copy of the fore
going resolution be forwarded by the
secretary to the committee of Congress
having this matter under consideration.
RcsOired, 3, That nothing in the fore
going action Of this Board shall be con-
sidered as III any manner approving of
the abolislment or curtailment of the
customs district Of Richmond, which
would, in the opinion Of this Board, be
detrimental to the material interests of
this city and State.
Adjourned.
1t was the the purpose of the Board
to appoint the Hon. George l.. Christian
and Robert +. Williams, Esq, as IA
committee to take these resolutions on
to Washington and present them to the
proper committee at its meeting to-day,
hut both gentlemen said they would be
unable TO 60. Thereupon the Board
having learned that Mr.. Curtis would
leave for Washington this morning to
appear before IA congressional commit
on behalf of the Dingley bill, secured
his services to present the resolutions to
the Hon. George ID. Wise and the chair
man of the committee having charge of
IL, -. ,,.,t;c,,lor e,tliaot